Kenya U-20 Coach Salim Babu Dreams of World Cup Ahead of AFCON Opener

Rising Stars head to Egypt for the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations tournament with the World Cup slot in mind according to coach Salim Babu.

Despite being debutants in the biennial competition, Babu believes his charges have what it takes to book one of the four slots reserved for the continent.

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The four semi-finalists from the tournament will book a ticket to the Under-20 World Cup which will be held in Chile later in the year.

"Our target from the start, and we have made that clear to the players, is to go to the World Cup. We need to get to the semis to book one of the four available slots and we are ready for that. We have what it takes and the boys have also vowed to give their all to attain that target," Babu told Telecomasia.

Babu reiterated that Rising Stars must capitalise on their unknown to down their opponents. Being first timers, the Rising Stars ought to play without fear.

"We will take full advantage of that because not so much is known about us. Not everyone has seen us and we have not been at that level before. We will use that surprise act to beat our opponents and before they know it we have advanced. We have the confidence to push ourselves to achieve our target."

At the same time, Babu said arriving early in Egypt will give Rising Stars enough time to acclamatise. 

"It will be very important for us to go there early and acclimatize and get used to the weather and all conditions. We will also play at least one friendly match with one of the teams there just to see where we are. It will be important to face a different opponent with a different style and different culture."

Babu will hope to create a balanced squad capable of controlling possession while also being effective on counterattacks. The squad's focus will be on maintaining discipline, creativity in midfield, and clinical finishing in the final third.

Kenya will need to step up and maintain their unbeaten form to navigate this tough group and progress to the knockout stages. 

With a mix of experienced players and young talents, the Rising Stars are focused on making a strong statement at this year’s  U-20 AFCON tournament.